Friction-clutch.



M. L. WILLIAMS.

FRIGTION CLUTCH.

APPLIOATION FILED DBG.7,1906.

Patented OC. 2'?, 1908.

MARTIN L. WILLIAMS, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA.

FRICTION-CLUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

Original application led December 26, 1905, Serial No. 293,290. Dividedand this application filed December 7, 1906. Serial No. 346,769.

Clutches, of which the following is a specitication.

This invention relates to improvements in frictlon clutcl'ies, and hasamong lts salient .objects to provide aV clutch built up of a series ofdisks presenting' a relatively large frictional area; to provide aconstruction of relatively few parts protected as to its interior'mechanism; to provide a construction which is nornially heldspringpressed in driving position; to provide a construction which isydirect acting and dispenses with toggle and other intermediateactuating mechanisms; to provide simple and reliable means for engagingand discngaging the friction disks; to provide a compact device having arelatively large area of friction contact surface and correspondingeiiiciency; to provide a construction that may be kept thoroughlylubricated and, if preferred, submerged in oil; and in general toprovide an improved construction of the character referre'd to,

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings-Figure l a horizontal vsectional view of mydevice, shown in connection with parts of the transmission gearing of avehicle wheel;

'Fig'. 2 is an enlarged axial. sectional *view of the clutch taken atright angles through the view 'of the clutch shown in Fig. 1,.partsbeing broken away to reduce the size of the drawing. Fig. 3 is atransverse sectional View taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 2 and looking in thedirection of the arrows; the parts, however, being consiilerablyenlarged Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail of one of the clutch disksshowing the manner in which the friction washers are secured to thedisks.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates an l axle member made in the formof a hollow casing in which the transinission gearing embodying myclutch mechanism is mounted. Describing this gearing. 2 designates themain shaft provided with aseric of cranks, 3, 3, anddriven by anysuitable power. Upon one of the alined ends 'of the main shaft 2, iskeyed or otherwise secured the usual fly-wheel 4. Upon that. end of themain shaft shown is rigidly secured a driving gear 5 which intermesheswith a larger gear (i, mounted upon a counter shaft 7 g the latter gearcarrying the driving member of the friction clutch hereinafter to bedescribed. The gear 6 is loosely mounted on the counter shaft 7 andisshiftedlfreely endwise thereon by a clutch lever 8 ful crumed at 9 inthe upper part of the axle casing, and extending out of the latter to apoint accessible to the operator.

Upon the counter shaft 7, at the side of the clutch gear remote from theclutch lever, is journaled an externally square sleeve 10, and betweenthe clutch and sleeve is niount'- ed a loose spur-gear 11 which carriesythe driven member of a friction clutch hereinafter described.

Describing now the construction of the clutch members proper, and moreparticularly the driving member, a cylindric easing 12 is `mounted uponthe gear 6, arranged concentric with the counter shaft and provided withan axial opening 13. lVithin said casing is arranged a series offriction disks 14, the external diameters of which are slightly lessthan the internal diameter of the casing 1Q, and these disks arc heldagainst rotative movement within the casing by means of a plurality ofthrough pins le extending through gear o and the casingA .12 and throughthe several disks, in parallelism with the counter shaft and atangularly separated points, as seen clearly in F 2 and The frictiondisks 14 are freely shiftable upon said pins 15.

Describing now the driven friction memv ber, the spur-gear`ll carriesasleeve 16, which extends inwardly through central openings in thefriction disks l-l, and said sleeve 1G is provided al, its inner endwith a. radial right-angled flange i7 which overlaps the innermost oneof the series of disks 14. 4interposed between the friction disks 14 arearranged Cooperating disks 1S, which are connected non-rotatably to thespurgear 11 by means of a plurality of through pins 19 extending fromthe gear ll throiigh suitable openings in the inner perimeters of saiddisks and into the flange 17. rl`hese disks are similarly shiftable uponthe pins 19, from which it follows that if the clutch gear Abe shiftedbodily from the spur gear 1l (the latter being held against endwisemovement, as hereinbefore described), the two inter-nested sets offriction disks will be brought into clamping frictionalA engagement witheach other and the movement of'rotati on ofthe clutch gear imparted tothe spurgear. "In order to hold the disks normally compressed intofrictional engagement with each other a coiled expansion spring 20 isinterposed between the. face. of the gear 11 and the hub of the gear G;an anti-friction bearing washer 2l being interposed between one end ofthe spring and the hub of the driving gear 6. The two sets of frictiondisks are desirably made of suitable metal, and in order to insure anample frictional engagement; between the parts, I apply to one set ofsaid disks,-the driven disks 18 in the present instance, fibrouscoverings 22. l have found vulcanized fiber, commonly termed red fiber,to be highly satisfactory for this purpose; t-his material having theproperty of affording a strong frictional hold between itself and thesmooth metal plates under pressure, notwithstanding the fiber may besaturated with oil.

Describing now the n'ianneinin which the rotation of the clutch gear 5is imparted to the various driven parts, and referring to Fig. l, itwill be noted that the spur-gear ll. isl shown asl intermeshing with;another gear 24 mounted upon a change :speed shaft 25 which is journaledin suitable bearings 2G to extend parallel with theicbunter shaft.

The shaft 25 carries additional gears, 27,

and 29, of varying diameter; all ef these gears upon this shaft beingrigid therewith. Upon the sleeve 10 is spliued a paix-.of gears 30 and3l, thesegears being connected with each other and shiftable by means ofa shipping lever 32, the fork of which engages a groove between thegears. i Tn the position of the parts shown in l. `ig. -l the mechanismis set in its intermediate speed position; the shaft 25 being rotatedthrough the gears l1 an( 24, and gear 27 being in mesh with gear 30 andthus rotating the sleeve l0.

The sleeve l() carries one member ot a differential gear mechanism,designated as a whole 33 (more fully shown and described in the`application Serial No. 293,290, of which this is a division) whichrotates the counter shaft 7. 0n the opposite end of the shaft 7 isrigidly secured a. gear 34e intermeshing with agear which is rigidlyconnected witha secondary shaft 36 which drives the wheel.

Describing now briefly the operation of the clutch, the disks bei ug/held in their normal frictional. engagement by the action of the spring20, power is communicated to the main shaft 2 carrying a driving gear 5,which in turn drives the intermeshing` gear 6. Therotation of the gear 6drives the clutch disks la, 'which in. turn drive the 'disks 18 and theconnected gear ll.4 To dis- `any suitable transmission gearing withoutin any manner departing from the spirit of the invention.

l claim as my invention:

l. In a power transmission mechanism, a friction clutch mechanismcomprising a gear body. a circular casingmounted on one side of saidgea-r body,` and provided at its outer edge with a closed side portioncentrally apertured, a plurality of supporting arranged near theperiphery of said casing, each rod having its ends seated respectivelyin the gear body and in said side portion` and all arranged to extendthrough said casing parallel with the axis of the rotation of the gearbody; a set of friction disks, each having its periphery suitablyapertured and movably fitted upon said supporting rods, a second gearbody mounted concentric with the first gear body, a tubular supportingmember mounted upon said second gear body and extending freely throughthe aperture in said circular ycasing member, and provided at its endremote from the sec` ond gear body with an annular kout-turned flange, aset of supporting rods mounted adjacent to the periphery of said tubularmember, each of said rods having its endsseated in the second gear bodyand in the annular flange of the tubular supporting member, a set offriction disks, each being suitably apertured and movably fitted uponsaid second set of supportingrods, the peripheral. portions of saidlatter disks being interpostpd,l between and alternated with theperimetral portions of the first set of disks,

and means for bodily shifting one of said gear bodies and lthe supportscarried thereby axially from and toward the opposite gear body, wherebysaid friction disks are brought into, or carried out of, bearingengagement with each other.

2. ln a power transmission mechanism, a friction clutch mechanismcomprisinga gear body, a casing mounted on one side of said gear body,and provided at. its outer edge with an annular fiange, a plurality ofsupporting rods, each rod having its ends seated respectively in thegear body and in said annular flange, a set of friction disks movablyfitted uponsaid supporting rods, a second gear body mounted concentricwith the first gear body, a tubular supporting memhaving its ends soaedin tho socond roar ber mounted upon said Sesond goal' body:

i l i and oxtending freely ihroiigh the opening formed by said annularange. and provided at its end remoio'rom lhs second gear bodj.7 with anannular ont-turned flangia, a not olf niii'lpmtingg roda. each ol saidro( body and i-n the annular Hang@ portion ol' the tubularsnpporiingmember. a Set of i'ririon disks n'ioi'ably lifted upon saidserond set, of' supporting rods. die friction disks oi one Het boing'arranged -i'o ovoriap, and boing' aliornatoi'l willi the friction disksof the other set, and means for bodily shift# ing said diskr,l into oront of bearing); engage'- mem` with each other.

5. ln zrpower transmission mechanism, a friction clni'oh mechanismcon'iprisinga gear body. a oirrnlar Casinginounted on one Isido ol'd-g'oar body and provided at its oner .edge Wih an intinned'annularfiango. a plurality of supporting' rods rigidl) seaod nvar the.periphery ol sarda-asino" and ionding J:hrongli 5mdk-asino'. a ser o''friction disks inoiably ii'ed n pon said Supporting` rods, a second roarbod)Y inoiintod con entiio with ille lirsr `fear body. a tubularsupporting' member monnl'vd upon said Second gear bodiT and vxt'ondinfglnongh ihn opening; formi-d by aid annular flange. an annnlnr onilnrnrdliang'o npon i'lw ond oi said i'iibnlar member rvmoir Jfrom said. secondgear body. a plnraliiy ol :inppfortingl rods. each rod liaiing iis lendwould in said Serond gear bod;Y sind tliion-'nrmd flange of mid tubularniombei. a wi' ol" frirtion disks movably lifted upon said ai-rond sotofsni'iporin;b roda and inierjrcd with tlnl fixer set of rirtion disks. aspring" marchan* ism for holding said disks normally in opifratiwAfrirfiomil engagement. and a'kimplev lci'orage mechanism fordisengapjing he Het oi' irivtion disks,

